Eucrasia

The physician Galen (130-199 AD) elaborated a model of health and disease as a structure of elements, qualities, humors, organs, and temperaments. Health was understood in this perspective to be a condition of harmony or balance (eucrasia) among these basic components that make up both nature in general and the individual body. Disease was interpreted as the disproportion (dyscrasia) of bodily fluids or four humours: phlegm, blood, and yellow and black bile.

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Galen: Claudius Galenus of Pergamum (131-201 AD), better known as Galen, was an ancient Greek physician. His views dominated European medicine for over a thousand years....

Dyscrasia: Dyscrasia (from Greek "Dyskrasia", meaning bad mixture), in Ancient Greek medicine, is the imbalance of the four humours, and was believed to be the direct cause of all disease. This is similar to the Asian concept of Yin and Yang; it was believed that imbalance of the two polarities caused ailment....

Four humours: The four humours were four fluids that were thought to permeate the body and influence its health. The concept was developed by ancient Greek thinkers around 400 BC and was directly linked with another popular theory of the four elements (Empedocles). Paired qualities were associated with each humo...